Scouting the Wright State Raiders
FAYETTEVILLE — Only one school in the nation shares a fight song with Arkansas, and when it plays this weekend over the speakers at Baum-Walker Stadium, just about everyone in attendance will be familiar with the tune. On their toes to the finish from Dayton, Ohio, come the Wright State Raiders for a three-game series with the Diamond Hogs.
Fresh off consecutive Horizon League titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, the Raiders have started 2023 in underwhelming fashion after the conference head coaches picked them to win it again. A season-opening trip to Hawaii resulted in losses in three of four games with a minus-15 run differential, and a subsequent series at Kentucky brought their record to 2-5 with 32 more runs allowed than scored.
Inconsistent hitting and pitching have plagued Wright State so far. Its team slash line is .210/.321/.374 while opponents' numbers are at least 100 points higher in every category. A 12-spot to beat Kentucky on Saturday only gave way to a 15-0 defeat the next day.
The two bright spots in the Raider batting order are outfielders Andrew Patrick and Dane Thomas, both of whom are hitting .400 or better. Patrick, a Horizon League All-Freshman team selection last year, is 8-17, including two homers in the same game against the Wildcats, with a 1.491 on-base-plus slugging percentage in six starts, while Thomas has only logged 10 at-bats and three starts.
The only other Wright State starter with an average north of .250 is two-way player Jay Luikart, who landed on the second all-conference team last season. He and Patrick went deep twice in the same game, accounting for half the team's home runs.
Luikart has not been nearly as effective on the mound as he has been at the plate, although few of his fellow hurlers have had much success. The staff's 10.25 ERA handily exceeds that of Arkansas.
Sunday starter Alex Theis has struggled the most of the group, allowing 13 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings to the tune of a 43.87 ERA. It is unclear whether the righty will get the nod again, but fortunately for him, the rest of the rotation has been serviceable at worst.
Right-hander Jake Shirk has toed the rubber in both series openers for the Raiders and produced very different results. Six scoreless innings in Hawaii earned him an opening day win, but five earned runs on nine hits in 2 1/3 innings last week shot his ERA up to 5.40. Opponents have hit .314 against him, so the Razorbacks could be in for some Friday fun.
In the middle of the rotation is the man with the strongest, yet most puzzling stats through two starts: lefty Sebastian Gongora. He allowed one hit and a pair of earned runs in five innings with four walks and four strikeouts. Before that, it was three unearned runs on four hits with no walks or strikeouts.
Among those who have not started, Luikart's four innings are the most on the staff. He is one of eight pitchers with a sub-7.00 ERA, and the other eight who have thrown are all in double digits.
With the Razorback bullpen also in disarray, spectators at Baum-Walker Stadium could be in for some high-scoring affairs this weekend. The series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT Friday, with games at 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday to follow. All three can be streamed live on the SEC Network Plus, accessible through the ESPN app.